(CNN) -Protests in two states have brought familiar Democratic faces back into the fold this week.

Former Gov. Ted Strickland called on Democratic supporters Saturday to join protests at the Ohio statehouse, one day after former Sen. Russ Feingold joined protesters at the Wisconsin capitol in Madison.

What both states have in common are defiant responses to legislative measures that would limit collective bargaining rights for state workers.FULL POST

Washington (CNN)-(CNN) - The nation's most energy-efficient National Christmas Tree
doesn't appear to be the nation's most energy-resistant one. The 42-foot tall Colorado blue spruce snapped at its base during high winds Saturday morning in Washington.

Sustained winds at 25 miles per hour and wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour swept through the area and snapped the tree 4 feet above the ground, the National Park Service said in a statement.FULL POST

(CNN)–President Obama turned his attention to education during his weekly address as he discussed another aspect of how he believes the nation can "win the future." Obama acknowledged that "Over the next ten years, nearly half of all new jobs will require education beyond high school."

He delivered the address from outside Portland, Oregon, while visiting Intel, a company that he said models how "instead of just being a nation that buys what's made overseas, we can make things in America and sell them around the globe.FULL POST

Washington (CNN) –(CNN) - The House of Representatives passed a government spending bill
after a marathon session Saturday morning that slashes more than $60 billion in federal funding for the seven months remaining in the 2011 fiscal year.

The vote on the GOP measure won by a 235-189 margin, at a vote that occurred right before 5 a.m.. The fight over spending now moves to the Senate.FULL POST